


after

by elainebarrish



Category: Wayward Pines (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 09:26:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4516563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elainebarrish/pseuds/elainebarrish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kate looks at her, stood in her own kitchen with her sleeves pushed above her elbows, hair tucked behind her ears, and she doesn't want to run. She finds herself wanting to bury herself in this moment, to draw it over herself like a protective cover from the outside world, from this world that isn't the one it should be."</p>
            </blockquote>





	after

**Author's Note:**

> what's canon idek okay so basically everything went fine and Theresa and Kate are like co-captains if Wayward Pines was a sports team. This is the laziest piece of writing I have ever posted. I've been like half asleep as I wrote pretty much all of it, and be glad there aren't even more minesweeper jokes. also shout out to celine 4 doing me a solid and writing a much better fic for them.

“How’s Ben?” Kate asks as she surveys her clipboard, checking over the pallet in front of her, taking care of something that could have easily been left to the volunteers, but she deplores being left aimless, something that Theresa knows from having watched her micromanage the running of the town to the point where even Pam had told her to take a break, "nurse's orders".  
"He's fine, ever since we got the school back up and running he's been glad to focus on that, he's even stopped holding his guitar and staring mournfully out of the window."  
"I'm sure it's just a phase," Kate says with a smile, meeting Theresa's eyes for a moment before looking back down at her clipboard.  
"Says Kate Hewson, childcare expert," Theresa teases, and she just rolls her eyes in response.  
"I'll have you know I had plenty of experience babysitting my entire neighbourhood when I was a teenager."  
"All in training for running a whole town, I'm sure." They're both smiling, and while Theresa is facing her Kate is glad that she's looking down at her clipboard, and Theresa is glad too, glad that this woman that trained to be part of the secret service isn't looking into her eyes and seeing this unexplainable warmth she has for someone she met under the worst conditions possible.  
"I couldn't do it without those important years of babysitting. You and the volunteers help too I guess." Kate chuckles and Theresa worries that she laughs too loud, that it's inappropriate, but Kate continues smiling, meeting her eyes.  
"Just a footnote on the book of your success," she chuckles. "Got to start somewhere, right?"  
"I'm afraid there isn't much upward mobility happening at this time, check in later." They laugh for a moment then Theresa sobers, though she's still smiling a little bit, unable to help herself.  
"You should come over for dinner tonight; you know Ben would love to see you, and I always make way too much lasagne."  
"I can never turn down lasagne,” Kate smiled. “I’m sure Ben will be happy to see me for about ten minutes, get bored of my questions, and then sneak off to meet Amy, without even thanking you for dinner.”  
“Well he does get to see you most days now, you’re not interesting anymore.”  
“I’ll have to tell him about that time I had to break out of prison.”  
“You did not break out of prison,” Theresa laughed, after a momentary pause in which she stared at Kate in surprised confusion.  
“I did,” she insisted, smiling. “But that’s a story for dinner tonight. Don’t you have work to do?”  
“Better make sure I’m still minesweeper champion.”  
“You’re the only person left that knows the rules, that’s important for humankind.”  
“I could teach you it’s actually pretty simple-” Theresa started, but interrupted herself. “You don’t want to know the rules, do you?”  
“No, I’ll see you tonight,” she laughed.  
“Yes, tonight, goodbye.” She hurried away, heading to her desk where she'd resume playing minesweeper whilst keeping an eye on various displays, and scolded herself for being so flustered. Inviting a friend over to dinner should be easy, it should be casual, and she shouldn't be worrying about whether she should change outfits when she gets home or not. It was just lasagne, and Ben would be there, it would be the same as all the other times the three of them had had dinner, except that all those occasions had held this undercurrent of attraction. She'd been attracted to her since they'd first met, and it had made her laugh that Ethan unknowingly apparently had the same taste in women that she did, and had found herself unsurprised that Ethan had cheated once she saw what she looked like, even though she would never have accepted that as an excuse. If Ethan could see her now, getting flustered over having dinner with the woman he had an affair with, well he'd probably find it at least a tiny bit amusing, if he'd had a sense of humour. 

Ben excuses himself pretty fast to see Amy, not even Kate's tale of how she got into and then broke out of prison was enough to keep him at the table once his plate was empty, and Theresa tries not to think about how they have the house to themselves now, and instead focuses on not drinking too much wine. Kate seems distant, smiling as she sips her wine, but then she's a sudden flurry of movement, like she'd just made up her mind about something.  
"I'll do the dishes as you cooked," she volunteers, already carrying things through into the kitchen, and even though she tries to stop her Theresa helps.  
"Do you want to wash or dry?" She asks with a smile, holding the tea towel out to Kate, and Kate looks at her, stood in her own kitchen with her sleeves pushed above her elbows, hair tucked behind her ears, and she doesn't want to run. She finds herself wanting to bury herself in this moment, to draw it over herself like a protective cover from the outside world, from this world that isn't the one it should be.  
"Kate? Wash or dry?" she tries again, feeling herself start to blush under her scrutiny, not sure whether she wants to shy away or move closer, and instead she opts for reaching out with her spare arm to touch her shoulder lightly, even as Kate was already reacting, taking the cloth from her.  
"Dry, of course," she manages, but she doesn't shake Theresa's hand off or turn to move towards the sink.  
"Are you okay?" Theresa asks softly, moving forward to put her other hand on Kate's other shoulder, putting their faces on the same level, smiling in a way she hoped was comforting.  
"I just had a thought," she paused. "I realised I wanted to stop running. I found somewhere that makes me want to stay."  
"That's good, isn't it?" Her confusion was clear on her face, brow furrowed.  
"Yes but," she paused again, considering. "I wasn't expecting it to be that I'd want to stay stood in your kitchen doing the washing up."  
Theresa smiled despite herself, that tiny ball of hope that she kept thinking she'd snuffed out expanding in her chest.  
"It is a pretty nice kitchen, she laughed, starting to move back, surprised when Kate grabs her hands.  
"It's not that," she rolls her eyes, she knows Theresa is aware she didn't mean that, and she meets her eyes, noticing from this close that she has to look up slightly, and she wonders if this is a smart idea even as she does it, as she leans forwards and kisses Theresa softly, slowly, prepared for her to be pushed away and less prepared for her to respond enthusiastically, smiling into the kiss.  
"I wasn't expecting that to be the problem," Theresa says with a smile, tightening her grip on Kate's hands, like she's scared Kate might change her mind about running.  
"I'm glad you're able to make jokes about it, I just put my heart on the line."  
"My heart was already on the line," Theresa replies and Kate groans at how sappy that sounds, both of them grinning at each other, and neither of them notice Ben slip past the doorway, smiling despite himself, glad that they'd come to terms with their feelings finally, and he hopes that Kate stays for breakfast.


End file.
